Puff in 10 seconds!

I’m trimming an inch.Hike hard!

Two big waves coming.

Watch this lull.I’m leaning in.

OK, easing now.

1Speed & Smarts #132

There’s nothing quite like good boatspeed to make you feel smartand help you get across the finish line ahead of your competition.

It doesn’t matter how good your strategic plan is – without speed you’lleventually be squeezed out the back of the pack like a slippery water-melon seed. And that’s not much fun.

When you do have speed, it’s much easier to follow your game plan,recover from mistakes (or bad luck!) and execute tactics. You can pinchoff a boat to windward and gain the option to tack, for example. Or youcan survive to windward of another boat’s bad air long enough to get tothe favored side of the course.

What all this means is that it’s worth making a big effort to improveyour boatspeed. This fifth part of our Playbook Series, with 49 ‘plays’ tohelp you go faster, is part of that process.

It’s obviously impossible to condense the entire science and art ofboatspeed into 16 pages. So what’s inside this issue are the key thingsyou need to know about evaluating your speed, shifting gears, sail trim,steering, communication about speed, finding the ‘groove,’ and more.

Know the key principles of going fast

In many ways, driving a boat is muchmore complicated than driving a car.On the highway, you can accelerateto the speed limit and then simply putyour car in cruise control for the rest ofyour trip. But in sailboat racing, thatdoesn’t work.

The sailing environment is alwayschanging, so good boatspeed requiresa continuous flow of trim adjustmentsthat are optimized for the wind andwaves you have at any moment. If youget your boat going fast and then putit in cruise control, pretty soon youwon’t be going fast any more.

So never be content with speed.Always keep working to go faster bymaking adjustments for changes in thewind and water.

PLAYBOOK SERIES 5: Boatspeed

PLAY 1: Never be contentwith your boatspeed!

&David Dellenbaugh’sSPEED

™smartsThe newsletter of how-to tips for racing sailors Sept/Oct 2014

Issue #132

JH P

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www.SpeedandSmarts.com

Every race-course situation teaches a unique set of lessons about boatspeed.This blue Flying Scot, for example, is trying to hold a lane of clear air abovethe white boat. If she wants to keep going this way, she should shift into ‘pointmode’ to avoid bad air. It looks like the crew might be able to sail the boat alittle flatter, but this depends on how much windward helm the skipper feels.The crew is communicating with each other, which is good. There should prob-ably be a set of telltales in the middle of the jib luff, and it looks like there is atwist in the mainsheet, which would make the sheet slightly harder to adjust.

Follow these basic rules ofthumb for consistent speed.

Going fast is certainly one of the best ways to winraces. Fortunately, the science of boatspeed is not

as mysterious nor as technical as many people think.Good boatspeed can be achieved by any sailor, regard-less of his or her level of experience. And the best partis you don’t have to understand very much about sail-ing theory in order to go fast. You just need a goodsense of feel, patience, determination and some keenobservational skills.

It also helps to follow a few boatspeed rules ofthumb, especially if the pursuit of speed ever beginsto feel perplexing. The principles described on thesetwo pages (and in the rest of this issue) are helpfulguides that almost always apply to speed situations.

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Speed & Smarts #132 2

XO

It is very difficult to improve your boatspeed very much byworking alone. Of course, there are some things you cando by yourself in areas such as boat preparation, sail shapeand boathandling. But any serious racing campaign knowsthat in order to make substantial progress on speed devel-opment you need to line up with two boats side by side.

In almost all kinds of sailboat racing, the only way totruly judge your boat’s upwind or downwind performanceis by comparing it to the performance of a similar boat.In other words, boatspeed is relative. Though many boatsnow have quite accurate ways of measuring their speedthrough the water, even the most sensitive instrumentscannot distinguish the subtle differences in speed andpointing that are so critical in sailboat racing. The onlyway to measure these is by gauging how you compare toanother boat sailing nearby in the same conditions.

So when you are trying to get up to speed at the begin-ning of the season, or before any regatta or individual race,try to include another boat in your plan. Ideally this shouldbe another boat exactly like yours, but if you race handicapyou can pick any boat that’s similar. It would be perfect ifyou and your tuning partner can find one or more trainingdays to carry out a systematic test of various sail-trim set-tings through a range of different wind conditions. How-ever, even a three-minute lineup before the start of a racewill be extremely helpful.

PLAY 2:Use other boats to help you get faster.

When you’re trying to improve your speed, don’t start fromscratch. There’s a lot of information already available abouthow to go fast in almost any boat. For one-designs, thebest source of information is usually a sailmaker’s tuningguide (from your own sailmaker or another). Many of theseare now online, which means they are easy to get, andthey’re updated often. I strongly recommend setting yourboat up exactly like your sailmaker recommends. Once youfeel fast and comfortable with this set-up (which could takeyears), you can try experimenting if you want.

Other people in your class or fleet can also be excellentresources on boatspeed. Most sailors love to be consideredexperts, and they are usually very willing to share what theyknow (especially if it helps grow the fleet). All you have todo is ask! After each day of racing, make it your policy toinvest some time talking with one or two topsailors (skippers and crews) about theirsecrets to going fast. If you do thisregularly, you’ll be amazed at howmuch you can learn!

PLAY 4: Don’t ‘reinvent the wheel.’

A basic tenet of sailboat racing, like many other sports andactivities, is that you will generally be better off initiatingchange rather than simply reacting to events. This certainlyapplies when you are trying to improve boatspeed.

A perfect example is what happens when you’re sailingupwind and you get hit by a puff. If you wait until you feelthe boat start to heel over before you do anything about it,you will be ‘reacting’ to that puff. The problem is that someof the energy from the puff goes into pushing the sailplansideways (i.e. making the boat heel) rather than driving theboat forward. This does not help your speed.

A better way to handle the puff is to be proactive. Justbefore you get the puff, pull on a little backstay, drop thetraveler a bit and hike really hard. Now when the puff hitsyour sails you won’t be overpowered – most of the puff’senergy will push the boat ahead rather than sideways. Thisidea of being proactive applies to all aspects of boatspeed.

PLAY 3: Be proactive, not reactive.

Good boatspeed is about consistency as much as anything else. Of course,almost any sailor would welcome a flash of super speed, even if it’s short-lived. But that’s not what your goal should be. If you really want to improveyour speed (and therefore your race results) for the long run, you must have asystematic approach to learning everything about making your boat go fast.

In grand prix auto racing, does each team’s head mechanic keep a historyof engine settings for every car? Of course! They’d be foolish to begin a racewithout a very good record of what has (and hasn’t) worked in the past.

The same is true for sailboat racing, an-other technical sport where speed is superimportant. How many sailors keep a recordof the tuning set-up and sail trim settingsthat they have found to be fastest over awide range of wind conditions? A lot of topcompetitors have this, but I’m guessingmany others do not.

There are several ways to keep track ofaccumulating speed information. My pref-erence in the past has been a handwrittennotebook (left), but now it’s usually easierto keep all speed notes in some sort ofelectronic notebook. This could be a textor Word file in a phone or tablet, or a doc-ument file online that all crewmemberscan access, contribute to and study. Theimportant thing is simply having a systemwhere it’s very easy to record, organize,add to and review your speed notes.

3PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

ISSUE 132

Introduction .................................1Key principles...............................2Evaluating speed..........................4Feeling the ‘groove’......................6Sail trim .......................................8Changing gears ..........................10Communication ..........................12Steering and maneuvers..............14Miscellaneous tips ......................16

Boatspeed

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PLAYBOOK #5PLAYBOOK #5

Key principles

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&SPEED™smarts

PLAY 5: Keep a good record of notes about speed.

Good boatspeed does not usually happen by chance or accident. Once ina while even slow boats have moments when they find ‘the groove.’ Butwhenever you see a boat that is consistently fast, this is usually the result ofa concerted and methodical effort by her crew.

Improving boatspeed is a longer-range project that requires patience,persistence and practice. In order to be fast you must be smooth at sail trim,boathandling, changing gears, steering and much more. Some of these skillscan be developed in a short time by yourself, but others require more timeand, ideally, a cooperative training partner.

The good news is that any sailor can learn to be fast. Of course, it helps ifyou have resources like time and money. But even then, the most importantthing is making a plan for how you can develop better speed. Approach thiswith the same attitude, organization and enthusiasm that you would use totackle any other challenge in your life, and the results will be rewarding.

PLAY 6: Make (and pursue) a plan for going fast.

Chris Howell - J/70 Class

A page of speed notes from myOlympic match racing notebook.

Take advantage of any chance you get to sail upwind next toanother boat! This could happen on a practice day or during aregatta in between races. When you have a willing partner, usethe time you have efficiently so you learn as much as possible.

The key to successful two-boat testing is starting with theboats in the proper position. In most cases you want them about2 or 3 boatlengths apart, with the leeward boat anywhere frombow-even to one boatlength ahead. This position is critical forkeeping the boats close enough so they are in the same breeze,but at the same time it allows each boat to sail her normal fast

upwind course (going up and down in waves). Sail long enough to recognize differences

in speed. Then switch sides and start again.If time permits, repeat this process on the

other tack. Be sure to spend some timebetween tests talking with the other

boat’s crew about what you saw.This is an important part of pro-

cessing the results of the testsand learning from them.

4 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

A

B C D

Bow slightly ahead

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PLAY 7: When two-boat testing, set theboats up properly for a good speed test.

PLAY 8: Determine whether you aregaining or losing on other boats.

Check up on your speed.

In sailboat racing, speed is relative. It doesn’t reallymatter what your knotmeter says or how fast your boatfeels – the only true measure of performance is how wellyou are going compared to the boats around you. Yourboat’s performance upwind (and downwind) is a subtlecombination of speed and height (pointing) that you canevaluate only when sailing near another boat that is in thesame wind you are. Therefore, keep a close eye on nearbyboats to see how your speed compares. Try to do this oftenbecause if you’re not going very fast you need to know assoon as possible so you can make a change. As they say inother areas of life, awareness is the first step to improve-ment. Here are some ideas on how an accurate evaluationof your performance can lead to better speed.

Don’t waste time sailing in bad lineups! If the windward boat (A)gets her bow too far ahead (left), the leeward boat won’t havethe option to sail in high mode. If the leeward boat (D) gets herbow too far ahead (right), the windward boat won’t be able tosail in foot mode. As soon as you realize that a lineup has gonebad, stop and restart in the proper position.

NO

NO

YES

The farther you are from other boats, the morelikely it is that performance differences (betweenyou and them) are due to strategic factors such aswind and current. So use caution when trying tocompare your speed with a boat far away.

JH Peterson photo

2 to 3 boatlengths

When it comes to boatspeed, the most importantthing to know at any moment is how your speedcompares to other, similar boats around you. In otherwords, are you relatively faster, the same speed orslower than boats that are sailing in the same wind?

This is critical to know because the answer formsthe basis for most of the trim adjustments you willmake. If you are going fast and therefore happy withyour speed, you probably won’t need to make manychanges to your set-up (unless you have a change inwind or waves). But if you are slow, you may want totry a number of different things to get going faster.The difference between these two approaches isalways based on your assessment of relative speed.

When you are judging speed, try to answer thisbasic question: If the boats keep sailing as they arenow, which one will get to the windward (or leeward)mark first? Your goal is to assess: 1) Which boat hasbetter upwind VMG; 2) How different are the boats’VMGs (Is one boat a lot slower or just a little slower?);3) How are the boats gaining and losing (Is the gainerpointing higher, going faster through the water, orboth?); and 4) Why are they gaining or losing (Is it alldue to speed or partly wind-related? See Play 10).This information will help you make proper adjust-ments to your sail trim settings.

Boat X is going slightly faster than BoatO because a subtle increase in pressureis moving from windward to leeward. Ohas to be careful not to interpret this asa speed problem. Her speed may be justfine, but if she doesn’t realize X hasmore wind she may start playing withsail trim and other speed controls.This would be a waste of time and

energy, and she might actuallyend up going slower.

When you are training or racing near another boat, it’s criticalto recognize whether one of the boats is faster (see Play 8). Ifthere is a speed difference, the next step is to figure out why.

There are several possible explanations for why one boatmay be going faster or slower than similar boats sailing nearby.The most obvious reason is that the boat going faster and/orhigher is doing a better job of trimming their hull and sails forthe existing conditions. If the slow boat is overt-sheetingtheir sails, heeling too much or trying to point too high,for example, that could easily explain a speed differencebetween boats.

However, variations in performance may havenothing to do with boatspeed. Maybe the faster boathas a bit more wind pressure, or they are slightly lifted.Maybe the slower boat has a clump of seaweed on herrudder or a momentary lapse in concentration.

When you are working on a ‘boatspeed problem,’ try toidentify the real reason for its existence. Do you actually have acase of the ‘slows,’ or is there another explanation? If you lookslower simply because the boat to windward is on the inside of agradual lift, for example, changing your sail trim settings is not a solution.That would be a waste of energy and would delay your response in dealingwith the real problem (your position on the outside of a lift). Also, if you makesail trim adjustments in search of a solution to a strategic problem, you mightend up with a boatspeed problem after all.

When one member of your crew is reporting on your performancecompared to nearby boats (see Play 34), he or she should talk aboutspeed and height (pointing). Both of these are integral parts of yourupwind VMG, and either one by itself is not very helpful.

If you hear only that a boat to windward of you (in the exactsame breeze) is pointing higher, for example, should you changegears into point mode? Not necessarily. It depends on how theother boat is performing overall. Will she beat you to the windwardmark? Or is she losing so much speed by pinching that you have abetter VMG? Obviously you also need to know her speed throughthe water. If she is higher and faster than you, or even higher andthe same speed, she is gaining and you may want to make changes.

With two variables(height, speed) andthree options for each(faster, same or slower),there are nine possibleways to describe therelationship betweenyou and another boat(chart). In seven of theseit is clear whether youare gaining or losing;in the other two (see ?),the speed reporter mustgive his or her opinionabout which boat has abetter VMG.

5PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Evaluating performance

WIND

X

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PLAY 11: Identify the speed and height combothat applies between you and another boat.

PLAY 10: Figure out why there are performance differences between boats.

If you are lucky enough to have instruments on yourboat, these can provide a lot of good informationto help you sail faster. A boatspeed display (above),for example, is very useful for seeing which wayyour speed is trending, and this helps you knowwhen to shift gears up or down. This display is alsovaluable for keeping you in the ballpark of your‘target speed’ (see Play 15).

However, boatspeed instruments are useless forassessing your overall speed. Performance dependson many variables such as subtle changes in windvelocity and pointing angle – neither of which ismeasured by this instrument. Even though displayslike this show your speed to the hundredth of aknot, they cannot measure the small differencesbetween boats sailing to maximize VMG upwind ordownwind. So do not use them to evaluate speed!

‘Same height and speed.‘‘Same height and faster.‘‘Same height and slower.‘‘Higher and same speed.‘‘Higher and faster!‘‘Higher and slower.‘‘Lower and same speed.‘‘Lower and faster.‘‘Lower and slower.‘

=+

++

–

–

–

?

?

PLAY 9: Do not evaluate yourperformance using instruments!

NETComparing your performance

Like most athletes, the best sailors don’t usually over-think whatto do. When their boat feels slow, they fiddle around a bit, make a

few adjustments and quickly get back into a groove. The ‘groove’ is asomewhat-elusive state in sailing when a boat feels good and achievesnear-optimal performance upwind or downwind. It’s like the ‘zone’that a basketball player enters when the basket looks three feet wide,or the feeling that a baseball batter gets when the pitcher seems to bethrowing at half speed. For sailors, it’s clear that being ‘in the groove’is very fast and being out of the groove can be quite slow. Here are anumber of ideas about how you can get into the groove more often.

6 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Sail fast by finding the ‘sweet spot.’

PLAY 15: Use a ‘target speed’ to stay in the ballpark.If you have a boatspeed readout you can use the concept of target speed tohelp you find the boat’s sweet spot upwind or downwind. Every boat has atheoretical optimal speed for achieving maximum VMG in each wind velocity.Some boats (such as the one shown here), have target (polar) speeds built into their onboard computer. The idea is to match your actual upwind speed tothe boat’s displayed target (6.91 here in the wind velocity at this moment).If you do this, you are theoretically sailing your boat at optimal VMG.

If you don’t have a target speed display, just guess (based on time spentsailing upwind) at a target speed you think will give you the best performancerelative to other boats. Aim at this target for a while and see how it works. Ifyou are lower and faster than other boats, make the target slower; if you arehigher and slower, make the target faster. Then use the new target as a guide.

PLAY 12: Tune in to your sense of feel.The key to achieving top performance is knowing how your boat feels whenit’s going fast, and then being able to reproduce that feeling in subsequentraces. Whenever you are practicing or racing with another boat and you’regoing well relative to that competitor, pay attention to ‘feel’ factors. Forexample, how much windward helm do you have? What is the boat’s angleof heel? How much pressure is in the mainsheet? What does the boat feel likeas it hits each wave? Take a mental snapshot of these feelings and store themin your memory (or notebook) so it’s easier to recognize them in future races.

When the boat feels good, it usually means you are going relatively fast,but it’s hard to describe exactly what makes a boat ‘feel good.’ Perhaps themost important thing is the ease with which you can keep the boat sailing‘in the groove’ for extended periods of time. If the boat seems to ‘sail itself’without a lot of work on your part, this is a positive sign. It feels good becausethings are balanced, the boat doesn’t slow down easily, and hopefully youhave better height and speed than nearby boats.

PLAY13: If it feels good, do it.The ‘feel’ of your boat (helm, sheets, etc.)is a good guide to its performance. So ifa change in trim makes your boat feelbetter, it was probably a good idea, andyou should consider doing more of it.

Imagine that you are steering upwind,holding the hiking stick in one hand andthe mainsheet in your other. The boatfeels pretty good, so you try trimming themainsheet another inch or two (whichshould improve your pointing).

Now you wait a moment to see (or, tofeel) what happens. Does the boat seemmore lively and powerful (e.g. did itpower up and accelerate)? Or does it feelmore dull and mushy? If the boat seemsto slow down, you probably trimmed thesheet too much, so ease it back out andget the boat going again. If trimming thesheet feels good, however, then youmight try trimming even a little harder.Let the feel of the boat be your guide.

JH P

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PLAY 14:Practice with your eyes shut.Since the feel of your boat tells you somuch about its performance, it’s crucialto develop this sense in training as muchas possible. One way to do this is bysailing your boat upwind with your eyesclosed or wearing a blindfold. There areso many visual stimuli in a sailboat, andthese distractions make it very difficult tofocus on other senses. By turning off youreyesight, you will feel the boat muchmore easily. See if you can notice changesin boatspeed and subtle differences inangle of heel. The best way to do this isby describing your sensations to a partnerwho gives you instant feedback (andkeeps you from crashing into anything!).

Fuller sailRounder entryMore forgivingWider groove

7PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Feeling the ‘groove’

PLAY 17: Focus on the angle of heel.

PLAY 18: Copy the fast boats.Your competitors are a great source of go-fast ideas,so keep an eye on them. There is no rule that saysyou can’t copy what other sailors are doing. In fact,there’s a rule of thumb that says you should.

Pay particular attention to boats near the front ofthe fleet that are going faster than you. These boatsare probably sailing ‘in the groove’ a relatively highpercentage of the time, so don’t be afraid to studytheir set-up. During every race they are sailingaround the course showing you how to go fast.This is valuable information – and it’s free! All youneed to do is be a good observer.

When sailing near a boat that seems faster, askyour crew to look at them carefully and describewhat is different about their set-up. For example, arethey trimming their mainsheet harder than you are?Is their crew weight in a different place than yours?Can you see if their jib lead is in the same position?

If you can identify certain trim differences be-tween boats, try those settings on your boat. If thismakes it easier to find and stay in the groove, youwill probably be faster as a result.

When sailing upwind, it’s fast if you can keep your boat sailing ‘inthe groove’ for as much of the race as possible. But this is not easy,especially when you have challenging conditions such as shiftywinds, puffs and lulls, or more waves than wind.

When the wind is steady (in both velocity and direction) andthe water is flat, it’s fairly easy to find a ‘groove’ and keep yourboat there. But as soon as conditions change (e.g. you get hit bya wave or puff), it’s easy to fall out of that groove.

That’s why in variable conditions it’s fast to set up your boat soit has a relatively wide groove. A wide groove is a compromise –it doesn’t allow you to achieve the highest level of performance,but it makes the boat more forgiving and easier to steer fast, evenif you make a mistake. As a result, your average, long-term per-formance is often better than if you tried to sail at top-end speed.Here are some things you can do to widen the groove:

PLAY 16: When you have trouble finding thegroove, make the groove easier to find.

Ease the mainsheet and/or jibsheet.Tight sheets lead to more easily stalled sails; in tricky conditions,err on the side of going a little too fast rather than too slow.Make your sails fuller overall.Flat sails are good for pointing but more likely to stall.

Allow your sails to have more twist.Twistier sails are more forgiving because the wind will stay attachedto some part of the sail even in waves, puffs, lulls or shifts.

Sail the boat slightly lower and faster. When it’s easy to get slow, a little extra speed is your friend.

Allow the boat to heel a little more.A bit more leeward heel increases windward helm – this extra feelmakes it a little easier to steer within the groove.

Make the front of the jib rounder.More shape in the luff allows the wind to attach to the sail moreconsistently and makes steering easier.

Flatter sailFiner entryLess forgivingNarrower groove

The jib set-up on the left will point well and perform at a highlevel, but it’s tricky to keep in the groove. The sail on the rightmay give up some performance but it’s much easier to keep inthe groove, so it may actually perform better overall.

Some sailors believe that a boat’s heel angle is thesingle most important clue when they’re trying tooptimize performance upwind or downwind. Theamount of heel tells you a lot about power in thesailplan and the amount of windward helm. Mostboats are fast when they’re pretty flat; of coursethere are exceptions to this such as in very light air.

The best way to see your boat’s heel angle is bylooking at the relationship between your headstayand the horizon. If your boat is perfectly flat, thisangle will be roughly 90°. The farther it is from 90°,the more heel you have.

Besides knowing the existing heel angle, it’s keyto know the current trend. Is the boat about to heelmore or less? You can gauge this is by feeling thepressure of the hull as it pushes up against your bodyor drops away from you. This gives you a good ideaof whether the boat is gaining or losing power andhelps you make the needed trim adjustments.

XO

Getting the right amount of twist in the mainsail leech is critical for speed and pointing in allconditions. If you overtrim the main (too little twist), it will stall and be slow. If you undertrim

the main (too much twist), you’ll be faster but your height will suffer. The key is finding ahappy compromise that gives you the best of both worlds.

A good rule of thumb in most conditions is to trim the mainsheet so the topbatten is parallel with the boom; i.e. you want that batten pointing straight aft.

In light air and chop, ease the sheet so the main twists and the batten anglesto leeward a bit. You may also need this batten angle to depower in big

breeze. In flat water and moderate wind (ideal pointing conditions),trim the sheet harder so the top batten angles to windward (and the

telltale at the end of that batten stalls at least 50% of the time).

8 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Fine-tune the shape of your sails.Sails are the sole power plant for racing sailboats, so

trimming them correctly is critical for good speed.This is not always easy, though, because most boats havemany tools for stretching each sail into thousands of sub-tle shapes. The goal of a sail trimmer, therefore, is to findthe sailshape that is fastest in the conditions that exist atany moment. Here are a bunch of ideas on how to do that.

The wind is always changing, so you must constantlyadjust sail trim to keep the boat going fast. That’s whyyou should try not to cleat your mainsheet! The main-sheet allows you to feel the boat’s pulse and should beyour number one method of shifting gears (which isnecessary almost all the time). Cleating the line is OK ifyou’re going on a picnic, but once you put it in a cleat,it’s easy to forget about it. Of course, in windier condi-tions and bigger boats you may not be strong enoughphysically to hold the sheet – in that case you have tocleat it, but mentally pretend you are still holding it.

PLAY 21: Don’t cleat the sheet!

PLAY 19: If the boat feels good, trim harder.Going fast upwind means you must find the best compromisebetween speed and pointing. You can bear off and go fast, butyou won’t make much progress upwind. Or you can point highby pinching, but you’ll go pretty slow.

Good helmspersons are constantly trying to find the combi-nation that gives them the best upwind VMG. Typically they usethe mainsheet like a throttle. If the boat feels fast, they trim thesheet harder and go for more height. If the boat feels slow,they ease the sheet for acceleration.

Here’s how you can use this trimming cycle: When your boatfeels good (i.e. it’s easy to steer and you’re going fast throughthe water), trim the mainsheet harder and point the bow slightlyhigher. If the boat still feels good, repeat this process. Once theboat slows down or no longer feels so good, ease the sheet alittle and bear off to accelerate. When you’re going fast again,repeat this process in a never-ending cycle.

PLAY 22: Trim your sheet so the top batten is parallel to the centerline.

PUFF

LULL

JH Peterson photo

When the wind velocity is up and down, it’s difficult to setyour sails correctly for all the different velocities you willsee (and it’s impractical to adjust every control each timeyou get a change in velocity). If your sails are full enoughfor the lulls, you’ll be slow in the puffs; if they’re flatenough for the puffs you will struggle in the lulls.

The best solution is usually to err on the side of settingup for the lulls. That’s because when you get a puff it isrelatively easy to go fast. If you’re overpowered, that is agood problem to have, and you can live with it temporar-ily. But in the lulls you need lots of power; if you don’thave it you will struggle to keep up with your competitors,and it will take you even longer to reach the next puff.

PLAY 20: In puffy wind, set up for the lulls.

9PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Sail trim

When trimming a spinnaker, it’s fast toget the sail out in front of the boat asmuch as possible so the power of thechute pulls the boat forward. It is slow toovertrim the sheet for two reasons: First,the wind is more likely to stall on the backof the sail. And second, more of the forcegenerated by the chute will pull the boatsideways rather than forward.

To be sure the chute rotates forwardas far as possible, continually ease thesheet until you have a slight curl alongthe luff of the spinnaker (see red chuteabove). Though this means you give up asmall amount of folded-over sail area, it’susually much faster to have the sail easedall the way with a small curl than to getrid of the curl but risk having the sailovertrimmed some of the time (whichmight be the case with the blue chute).

In most races you should trim your sails identically from tack to tack, but don’tassume this is always the fastest way to go. Certain conditions require differenttrim settings (e.g. twist and depth) on each tack, so consider this adjustmentwhen you think it makes sense. The two most common situations are when thewaves are not aligned with the wind (see below) and when you have wind sheer(a change in the direction of the wind as you go aloft).

If you want to improve your boatspeed, you must be able to do two things: 1) identify the tuning and sail trim settings that are fast in each wind condition;and 2) be able to reproduce these fast settings from race to race and regattato regatta. You won’t make much progress if you are fast one week but slowthe next because you forgot how your boat was set up.

This concept of reproducibility is a key building block for better speed.In order to find fast settings again in the future, you need to quantify them.This means putting marks and measuring scales all over your sail controls (seephoto). Basically, you want to give everything a number and then keep trackof the numbers that give you good speed in various conditions.

For most boats, you can add reference marks with a few basic tools such asa tape measure (for rake, jib lead position, mast butt location, etc.), a tensiongauge (for rig tension), and a magic marker with tape (for calibrating yourbackstay, outhaul, jib halyard, cunningham and so on).

Place a mark on each of your key controls and create a number scalealongside that mark. Ideally this mark and scale should be in a place where

the helmsperson and trimmers cansee them while you’re racing. Also,set up your measuring systems sothe higher numbers mean moretension on every control. In otherwords, a 7 means you have morecunningham, a flatter outhaul anda tighter jib halyard than a 6.

Whenever you feel like yourboat is ‘in the groove,’ look at allthe corresponding trim settings.Record these numbers in a chart inyour ‘speed notebook’ (see Play 5)for future reference. Before yournext regatta, review your notebookand start by setting your controlsat the numbers that were fast forsimilar conditions in the past.

PLAY 24: Use reference marks to calibrate sail controls.

One condition that requires different sail trim from tack to tack is when thewaves aren’t lined up with the wind. Look for asymmetric waves when you have:• Geographic effects – such as a point of land that waves bend around• Recent windshift – any shift will cause a temporary asymmetry in the waves• Cross-current – current at an angle to the wind will create asymmetric waves

In this diagram, the waves are coming from 20° to the left of the wind. As aresult, boats on starboard tack sail almost directly into the waves while boats onport tack have a smoother ride. Going fast requires different sail trim for each.

P

WIND

Waves

PLAY 23: Consider trimming sails differently on each tack.JH

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PLAY 25: Trim with a curl.

It’s easy to add reference marksto almost any sail control by usinga marker right on the deck or ona piece of tape stuck to the deck.

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When you’re driving, you have to shift gears whenever youstop, start, turn, accelerate onto highways, go up hills, etc.But you also travel for long stretches where you don’t needto shift gears at all. In sailboat racing, change is usuallycontinuous. You have puffs, lulls, lifts, headers,bad air, waves, tacks, turns and so on. Very seldom are conditions so staticthat you can set your boat up andsail very long without changingsomething. In fact, you shouldassume that constant changeis the normal environment.Therefore, to keep going fastyou must continually adjustthe trim of your boat and sails.

10 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Sailboat racing is a challenge because conditions arealways changing. You can’t just trim in your sails,

cleat them and expect to win races. As Olympic cham-pion Buddy Melges often says, you must ‘present yourboat for Mother Nature.’ In other words, you have toanticipate the puffs, lulls, shifts and waves that arecoming. And when these reach your boat, you shouldhave already made adjustments for them (rather thanreacting after they hit you). Sailors often refer to thisprocess as ‘changing gears’ since it is similar to theroutine you must follow when driving a manual shiftcar through traffic and hilly terrain.

Don’t hesitate to adjust trim.

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PLAY 26: Change gears constantly.

PLAY 27: When changing gears,understand all your options.One good way to improve your boatspeed is by increasingthe percentage of time that you spend sailing in the right‘gear.’ For simplicity, think of a sailboat, like a car, as havingfour gears that cover the range of upwind sailing. First gearis used for accelerating from a slow speed while fourth gearis used for going full speed and pointing. Unlike a car,however, a boat’s transmission is a continuum of varioustrim settings from first through fourth gears.

There are actual two categories of ways to shift gears.The first includes changes that you make on shore or beforea race based on the predicted wind and sea conditions.These are things you don’t worry about while racing be-cause it’s illegal to change them then or impractical to doso. This list includes items like raking the mast, moving themast butt, changing rig tension and choosing a headsail.

The second category includes all the adjustments (to thetrim of your boat and sails) that you can make while racingto take advantage of changes in the wind and seas. Theseare things that you (or your crew) can do fairly easily andquickly. However, you don’t usually have time to make allthe changes you desire when faced with a puff or wave.Therefore, you must prioritize possible adjustments, andfocus on those variables that will have the biggest impact.

Typically, the first changes you should make are almostalways to your sheets (main and jib), the backstay (if youhave one) and the position of your crew weight. If thechange in your sailing environment is sustained, then youshould consider secondary adjustments such as the traveler,outhaul, cunningham, jib luff tension and so on.

PLAY 28: Keep a good lookoutto windward and ahead. In order to anticipate changes that are coming in thewind and waves (so you can shift gears before they getto you), every crewmember should keep at least part ofhis or her attention outside the boat. The most criticalplace to look is anywhere from roughly 10° to 40° offyour windward bow because that’s where most of thechanges you will get are coming from.

The puffs and lulls that will affect you are approach-ing from the direction of your apparent wind. Look up atthe wind pennant on top of your mast (or at the telltaleson your shrouds) and follow this direction onto the waterahead. The wind ripples you see there are the puffs andlulls that will come to you in the near future.

The waves you will get are also in this general direc-tion. However, since waves travel more slowly than wind,the waves that will hit you are actually closer to your bow(forward of your apparent wind direction). Look thereto anticipate the waves and flat spots you will get.

It’s good for all crewmembers to keep an eye onwhat’s coming, but make sure at least one crewmemberhas specific responsibility for calling out loudly thechanges that are imminent and may affect boatspeed.

There’s a smallpuff coming in 10seconds and thenan extended lull.

Puffs

and

lulls

you

will g

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Wav

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ou w

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It’s usually easier to shift up when you are driving downhillthan to shift down while driving uphill, and the same is trueabout sailing. When you get hit by a puff, it’s fairly easy togo fast, even if you don’t shift gears perfectly. But when youhit waves or sail into a lull, it’s very difficult to keep the boatgoing fast. That’s why it is critical to be able to downshift.

The ability to accelerate is critical for racing successbecause boats often slow down during the course of a race.This happens whenever you tack, hit waves, approach thestart and almost all the time in lighter air. When you getslow and need speed, there are many things you can do:

• Anticipate the need to downshift. If you are late shiftingup in a puff, it’s not the end of the world because you willgo faster no matter what you do. But getting a lull is not thesame, so make sure you are powered up beforehand.

• Bear off a little. It’s difficult to accelerate while sailingyour normal closehauled angle, especially if you are indisturbed air or water. So bear off a bit and ‘press’ on yourjib until the windward telltales fly straight back.

• Ease your sheets. The worst thing is to have your sailstrimmed in tight when you are underpowered. A tight sailis likely to stall, so let the sails out to help build speed.

• Make your sails fuller. Deeper sails are more powerfuland help you accelerate from slow speed like the wings ona plane that is taking off. You can increase depth quickly byeasing backstay, mainsheet, cunningham and outhaul.

When conditions are changing, make sure you shiftgears promptly. You may need to be in and out ofacceleration mode (first gear) continually – just asyou would have to be whendriving a car in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Changing gears

PLAY 32: Focus on shifting ‘down.’

PLAY 30: If you’re slow, change something.

PLAY 29: Shift gears before youfeel changes in the wind or waves.

PLAY 31: Go fast first, then try pointing.The ability to point high is great for tactics, strategy andspeed, but you can’t just aim your boat closer to the wind.When pointing is a problem, the natural response is simplyto turn the boat a little more toward the wind, but this is theopposite of what’s needed. Pointing ability is closely tied tospeed, so in order to point higher you must usually start bypointing lower. This gets the water flowing faster over yourfoils, which increases their efficiency and produces lift (ofcourse, you may also need to make other tuning or trimchanges to improve pointing.)

Pointing high in a sailboat is like driving a car in fourthgear – you can’t just shift straight into the highest gear oryou will stall. You have to get there by building speed infirst, second and third gears. Then if the boat is going fastand feels good, try shifting into point mode by making thesails a little flatter, trimming harder and aiming a bit higher.

The idea with shifting gears is to be proactive, not reactive.Anticipate upcoming changes in the wind or waves andmake your corresponding adjustments just before thechanges hit. When you approach a bigger-than-averagewave (above), for example, try to ‘downshift’ before it hits.The goal is to have your sails all powered up by the timeyour bow punches into the wave – otherwise you will losea lot of speed and it will take you too long to recover.

The same is true for changes in wind velocity. When yousee a puff coming, shift to a higher gear just before it hits.If you don’t react until after you feel the boat start to heel,you will lose power. That is, some of the force of the puff willbe used to heel the boat over rather than propel it forward.

The key here is anticipation, so keep a good lookout andcommunicate with your crew about what’s coming. In a smalllightweight dinghy, you may need only one second to shiftgears before a change in the wind or waves. But in a heavykeelboat this might take you five seconds or even longer!

During a race, it’s important to have a continual sense ofyour boatspeed relative to the rest of the fleet. When you’regoing fast, it’s good to know this so you can a) identify thesail trim settings that are working, and b) avoid changingthings unless you have a good reason.

When you’re going slow, you definitely want to figurethis out as soon as possible. The longer you spend sailingslower or lower (or both!), the farther you will fall behind.Once you’ve identified a speed problem, change some-thing. Start by adjusting things that have the biggest impacton your boatspeed. My first change is almost always to ease(or tighten) the mainsheet. If this doesn’t help, change othervariables (e.g. jib sheet, backstay or crew position) thatalso have a large effect on speed. You’ll learn more if youchange only one thing at a time and wait long enough tosee its effect. This is a good approach in training, but youmay not have the time to be so patient in racing.

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed 11

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12 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

When it comes to improving boatspeed, goodcommunication is key. Imagine a boat where

no one was allowed to talk. What a disadvantagethat would be! If you want to make your boat go asfast as possible, you need contributions from every-one on your team, not just the helmsperson andtrimmers. Each crewmember brings a unique skillset and point of view to the team, so encourageeveryone to speak up loudly and clearly.

It could be possible to have a team that talks toomuch, and that might be distracting. But that is theexception rather than the rule. On most boats thereis too little communication, either because peopleare afraid to speak up or because they’re not surewhat to say. On this page and the next are a bunchof great suggestions about how all crewmemberscan speak up and help their boat go faster.

Run silent, finish deep!

Small puff

in about 15

seconds.

When you’re trying to go fast, the most important informationto have is how your speed and height compare to nearbyboats. This is so critical that it’s worth assigning one person todo this specific job (and nothing else if possible).

The task of the ‘speed reporter’ is to communicate yourrelative performance continually to everyone on the boat. Thehelmsperson needs this info so he or she can decide to go forheight or speed; the trimmers need it so they know if theyshould be easing or trimming. The reporter needs to speakloudly so everyone can hear him or her above the noise ofwind and waves. Here’s a sample of what he or she might say:

“We’re a little higher, same speed.”“Still a bit higher, maybe faster.”“Same height now, same speed.”“Slightly lower, but speed is at least the same.”“A little lower, and now a bit faster.”“Still lower and faster, net gain to us.”“Almost the same height, a lot faster.”“Same height, still faster.”“Higher and faster.”“A lot higher, now the same speed.”

Each of these statements communicates information to thecrew that can be invaluable for changing gears and going fast.

PLAY 34: Assign one crewmember to reporton your speed relative to other boats.

PLAY 33:Talk about how the boat feels!As we discussed previously, the feel of your boat is a keycomponent of sailing fast. Therefore, it’s important foreveryone on your boat to get involved in the ‘sailing byfeel’ process. Since just one crewmember is holding thetiller or jib sheet, the only way for other teammates toknow how the tiller or jib sheet feels is with detailed andconstant communication. Here are some examples ofwhat the trimmers or driver might say about feel:

“I have too much helm.”“The pressure in the chute is dropping.”“The boat feels too flat.”“We’re building speed slowly.”

When I’m driving, I like to have people say what they arefeeling even when they think it may be obvious to therest of the crew. Usually it isn’t obvious, and verbalizingthe feeling makes everyone more aware of what ishappening (and more comfortable about contributing).

The helmsperson can tell a lot about the pulse of theboat through the feel of the tiller or wheel. But he orshe can’t keep this a secret! Tell the rest of the crewso they can do what’s needed to sail the boat fast.

Photo above: On a boat with at least several crewmembers,the bow (forward) person often calls waves and wind becausehe or she is in the best position to see what’s coming. The‘speed reporter’ usually sits farther aft so he or she can seeboats to leeward (around the jib leech) as well as to windward.

We’re higherand same speedas the boat onour hip.

JH Peterson photo

Speedreporter

This is one of my pet peeves. I really like having a ‘speedreporter’ who lets the crew know how we are goingrelative to nearby boats. But I don’t like when it’sunclear whether that person is talking about our boator the other boat. Here’s how a discussion might go:

SR: “Higher and same speed.”Me: “That’s surprising. Are you talking about us?”SR: “No, I meant the other boat.”

This kind of distracting conversation should never take place.Just tell your speed reporter that he or she should always talkonly about your boat. That way you know everything he or shesays is describing your own boat; there is much less confusionand no need for anyone to ask clarifying questions.

PLAY 35: When reporting on speed, talk about your own boat.We’re higher and faster!

Higher and a littleslower – net gain to us.

Faster and even height.

13PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Communication

The entire crew can help sail the boat fastby keeping their heads out of the boat.Watch for puffs, lulls, waves, flat spots,shifts, converging boats, wind shadowsand so on. Tell your team what you seeand don’t assume that this has been seenby everyone (or anyone) else.

Pay special attention to those areaswhere the helmsperson has a hard timeseeing. The two primary ‘blind spots’ arebehind his or her back and behind thegenoa or jib. By focusing on these areasyou will help avoid last-second surprisesthat could hurt your speed and gameplan.

PLAY 38: Keep a good lookout, especially in the helmsperson’s ‘blind’ spots.

Blind spot – toleeward andbehind the jib

Blind spot –to windwardand behindhelmsperson

PLAY 39: Warn your team about pendingchanges in the wind and waves.In order to anticipate changes in the sailing environment(so the entire crew can shift gears efficiently), it’s key tohave one crewmember calling out puffs, lulls, wavesand flat spots that are coming toward the boat (don’tforget lulls and flat spots!). I usually assign this job to thecrewmember who sits farthest forward upwind (see page12 photo) because he or she has the best view of what’sahead (and he or she often blocks the view of othercrew). The main requirements for this job are to yellloud enough for everyone to hear and early enough soeveryone can make trim adjustments before the changearrives. Here are some things he or she might say:

“Puff coming in 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1!” “Three big waves in a row – here’s the first one!”“We’re gradually sailing into less pressure.” “A very big flat spot in three boatlengths.”“Looks like we’ll be headed in about 20 seconds.”

PLAY 37: Ask questions!Communication is a two-way street, so don’t just wait for ateammate to give you the information you need to help theboat go fast – ask him or her! Here are some speed-relatedquestions you might want to ask various crewmembers:

(to the helmsperson) “How much helm do you have?”(to the jib trimmer) “Do you want any more jib halyard?”(to anyone) “What’s our target speed?”(to the helmsperson) “Where do you want my weight?”(to the speed reporter) “How are we going now?”(to the forward crew) “How long until that puff hits us?”

PLAY 36: Communicate about sail trim.One of the most important ingredients of good boatspeedis proper sail trim, so the helmsperson and trimmers shouldcommunicate a lot about this (especially as conditions changeand there is a need to shift gears). Here is a sample of somethings that are commonly discussed:

(jib trimmer) “I still have an inch of sheet to trim.”(chute trimmer) “I’m squaring the guy back a little.”(jib trimmer) “I’m trimming to the course you’re steering.”(forward crew) “I’m ready to ease the vang if needed.”(helmsperson) “Drop the traveler to give me less helm.”

14 Speed & Smarts #132

PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

Keep your speed while turning.In most conditions, it’s fairly easy to go fast in a straightline, but what separates the top sailors from the rest isthe ability to maintain a higher percentage of their speedthrough turns and maneuvers. In actuality, sailboats don’tsail in straight lines very much because they’re alwaysturning around waves or adjusting to windshifts. If youcan gain as little as one inch every time you turn therudder more than a few degrees off centerline, you willgain boatlengths by the time you reach the finish.

Any time you make a maneuver (e.g. a tack, jibe, spinnaker set,takedown, duck behind a starboard tacker) you lose distance toevery other boat in the fleet. So don’t tack or jibe unless youmust and try to lose as little speed as possible when you do.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid maneuvers unless you haveat least full speed, or ideally a little extra. If you’re slow at thebeginning of a tack or jibe, you’ll be very slow at the end, andthat will make it harder to accelerate to normal speed.

There are several ways to get enough speed for successfulmaneuvers. If you have a choice about where to make your turn,wait until you are in good wind pressure. Never make a maneu-ver in a lull unless you have a very good reason. If you’re jibingin breeze, wait until you are surfing fast down a wave.

When you have to make a maneuver in a certain place (e.g.you need to tack into a lee-bow position on a starboard tacker),build speed by bearing off slightly as you approach the turn. Inmost cases the extra speed you have during the maneuver willmore than make up for the ground you lose by bearing off.

Turning the rudder always makes you slower, so wheneveryou need to turn your boat adjust sail trim to help as muchas possible. When you wish to head up, trim your mainsailtighter (so the wind pushes your stern to leeward) and easeyour jib a little (to allow your bow to head up more easilytoward the wind). When you need to bear off, ease yourmainsheet (so there is less pressure pushing your stern toleeward) and over-trim your jib slightly (to help pull the bowdown). This technique is especially important in heavy airwhen turning the rudder and moving crew weight are lesseffective. If you’ve ever tried to bear off behind a starboardtacker without easing your mainsheet, you know that sailtrim has a huge impact on where the boat goes.

When you want to go fast, the best strategy is simply tosail in a straight line. Turning a boat is slow, but unfortu-nately you can’t sail around a crowded race course withoutturning a lot, so try to make every change of course with aminimal loss of speed.

We all know it’s slow to angle the rudder off centerlinebecause that creates drag. So try to turn as much as possi-ble without using the rudder. Before moving your tiller orwheel to turn the boat, use the placement of crew weightto steer by changing the boat’s heel angle. If you want toturn left, move your weight to the right so you heel theboat to starboard. When you want to turn right, move left.This is most effective in lighter air and with smaller boats,but it will help somewhat in all boats and any condition.

Steer by telltales

in the middle of

the jib, not at the

top or bottom.

YES!

NO

NO

PLAY 43: Always use sail trim for turning.PLAY 42: Always use weight to help turn.

PLAY 40: Don’t maneuver without speed.

heel to port, turn to starboard

heel to port, turn to starboard

heel to starboard, turn to port heel to starboard, turn to port

over-ease main,bear off

over-ease main,bear off

over-trim main,

head upover-trim main,

head up

WIND

PLAY 41: Use your middle telltales.When watching your jib luff telltales as a guide forsteering upwind, use the telltales that are half way upthe sail. Don’t use the lower telltales simply becausethey are easier to see. Slide forward and to windwardso you can see farther up the sail (add a new set of tell-tales there if necessary). This will be worth it becausethe middle telltales give you the best average readingfor the entire sail (if you use the lower telltales you maysail with the entire top of the jib undertrimmed).

15PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed

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Statement of ownership, management & circulation1. Publication title: Speed and Smarts2. Publication No.: 1075-57723. Filing date: September 30, 20144. Issue frequency: Bi-monthly5. Number of issues published annually: Six6. Annual subscription price: $487/8. Offices: 45 Kellers Farm Rd., Easton, CT 066129. Name and address of publisher, editor, managing editor:

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PLAY 45: Minimize rudder movement.

PLAY 46: Sail fast withthe right amount of helm.When sailing upwind, it’s good to haveabout 3° to 5° of windward helm foroptimizing performance. This amountof rudder angle helps create lift andgives the helmsperson a positive feel.

On a run or reach, however, an off-center rudder simply creates drag, andthis is slow. Therefore, adjust your crewweight and sails to keep your ruddercentered and your helm neutral asmuch as possible. Ideally, you’d likethe boat to basically steer itself in astraight line downwind.

In light air most boats don’t haveenough windward helm upwind. Thismakes it hard for the helmsperson tofeel the boat and find the groove.Youmay need to add more helm by rakingyour mast aft, moving weight forward,increasing heel, making the sails fullerand/or pulling the boom closer to (oreven above) centerline.

When it’s windy, on the other hand,many boats have too much windwardhelm (more than 5-7°). This makessteering tough and causes too muchdrag. Decrease helm by raking themast forward, flattening the sails (espe-cially the mainsail), decreasing heelangle (pinching is one way to do this),moving crew weight aft and/or drop-ping the traveler farther to leeward.

PLAY 44: Keep track ofhow much helm you have.One of the most critical speed factorson any boat is the amount of windward(or leeward) helm you have when sail-ing upwind or downwind. The tug ofthe wheel or tiller tells you a lot abouthow the boat and sails are trimmed.

It’s relatively easy for the helmsper-son to keep track of helm because heor she can feel how much the tilleror wheel is pulling. He or she shouldcommunicate this to the rest of thecrew, especially when there may betoo much or too little helm.

The amount of helm has a largeeffect on sail trim, so it’s key for thetrimmers to be aware of this. On aboat with a tiller, they can easily give aglance aft to see the angle of the tilleroff centerline (which equals the rudderangle). With a wheel, however, it’s a lit-tle more difficult. That’s when it helpsto have a bright mark showing whenthe wheel is centered (see photo).

When the piece of white tape on thisspoke (red circle) is at the top of thewheel, the rudder is centered. Thisboat currently has about ‘one spoke’of windward helm. An obvious marklike this makes it easy for the entirecrew to see how much helm the boathas at any particular moment.

Steering a sailboat involves an ongoing series of turns. Even though most ofthese turns are relatively small, almost all of them require moving the rudder toone side or the other. As most sailors know, whenever you position the rudderat an angle to the centerline of the boat you create drag.

Therefore, the first rule of thumb for steering fast is to minimize steering.Reduce rudder movement and its associated drag by aiming the boat straightas much as possible. This is true for most boats over a wide range of wind andwave conditions. Many helmspeople have a nervous habit of oversteering,which is slow – it’s usually better to hold the wheel or tiller very still.

Of course, you can’t avoid turning the rudder altogether. There are manytimes in every race when the benefit of turning the rudder outweighs the extradrag you create. However, whenever you need to steer the boat, try to do thiswith as little rudder angle as possible by using sail trim and weight placement.

16 Speed & Smarts #132

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PLAYBOOK: Boatspeed Miscellaneous

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Code for free access to Subscribers’ Corner section of our website: CornerTips14

NEW!

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Finding better boatspeed usually doesn’thappen overnight, so be persistent andcommit yourself to the longer-termprocess of learning how to go faster.My philosophy has always been that you

can’t win every race, but you can alwayslearn something from each race. I call thisthe ‘no-lose approach,’ and it works aswell for improving speed as it does forother parts of sailboat racing.

Once you start figuring out how to gofast in certain specific conditions, you will

develop the tools to repeat this processin any wind and water condition. Thisis key because every race you sail in

the future will require a unique speed setup. So be patient andvalue the journey as you learn more about how to go faster.

PLAY 47: Improve yourself, improve speed.

PLAY 49: Hike hard, but pace yourself.On almost any boat, moving crew weight farther out-board when you’re sailing upwind in breeze will almostalways produce better speed. So work on finding themost effective ways to hike on your boat, and encour-age your crew to be in good shape.

Even the most athletic sailors can’t hike all theway out for an entire race, however, so save your besthiking for when it makes the most difference. Use twohiking modes: 1) ‘flat-out’ style where everyone hikesas hard as they can (as in the photo above); and 2)‘comfort’ style, a position you could hold all the wayup the beat. Use ‘flat-out’ mode at crucial times whenyou need speed, like right after the start or whenyou’re close with other boats. Use ‘comfort’ mode atother times to conserve energy and strength.

Full speed ahead is almost always a good thing. Going fastusually gets you to the finish line sooner and helps you beatmore boats. There are, however, a few times when you mightactually want to slow down a bit. These include the following :

• When it’s very windy – Sailboat racing is all about managingrisk, and this is certainly important in big breeze. Sometimes it’sbetter to throttle back and be conservative. This reduces yourchance of having a breakdown, capsize or broach and therebyincreases your chances of doing well in the race.

• Strategic situations – Sailing your best VMG course is notalways the fastest way to get to the windward mark. If there’s apuff on your windward side, for example, you may get it soonerby sailing high and slow. The benefits of getting into this puffcould easily outweigh the cost of sailing slow temporarily.

• Tactical maneuvers – Sometimes when you are near otherboats you have to go slow before you can go fast. A goodexample is when you are being ‘pushed’ toward the wrongside of the beat. Instead of blindly going fast, it’s often betterto slow down briefly so you can tack (to pass behind the boatsthat are pinning you) and go the other way.

In cases like these, faster isn’t always better – going slow fora short time can actually help you get to the finish line sooner.

PLAY 48: Slow down to win.